Servo Magazine (September 2010)

“Roll” With the HoverBot

Wheels? We don’t need no stinking wheels with this unique bot that’s lighter than air.

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Corrections

What is the flight time particularly for the lift fan at 4.5V or 6V?
What is the lift capacity in ounces or grams? (i.e. what is the max weight of the electronics and batteries)

The fans draw close to 2 Amps at 6 volts. So a set of “AAA” batteries will run it for between one and two hours.

I just weighed the HoverBot. It’s 19 ounces.

I’d recommend using lithium cells for the HoverBot since they’re lightweight and powerful. The question is how well will lithiums provide 2A? Some lithiums have cutt off circuits so they can’t burn if shorted out.

Thanks for reading the article. There’s more coming out next month.

Article Comments

Mind/Iron

3D printing has become so good that the printed prototypes outlive their usefulness. Most of my 3D printed plastic prototypes serve their purpose for perhaps five minutes and then end up in landfills along with lots of empty filament spools. ABS plastic and even so-called biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA) will probably survive decades in the environment. Isn’t it time to find ways to repurpose this technology to decrease its footprint?